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Research projects

A robust hygrometer for the Earth and planetary sciences

We have recently discovered water in spinels, a group of oxide minerals that are abundant in many rocks. This Marsden-funded project, led by Professor Georg Zellmer will quantify the water content in spinels and the parameters that influence water uptake into their crystal structures. This will allow the team to develop a robust hygrometer, that can determine magmatic water cycles through space and time on Earth, and provide opportunities for investigating the water budgets of other planetary objects to advance our knowledge of planetary dynamics.

Assessment of transport and transformation of nitrogen in the subsurface environment

Field measurements on Dairy 1 and lab experiments are being used to develop methods and procedures to assess and characterise the transport and transformation of nitrate-nitrogen in alluvial unsaturated and saturated (shallow groundwater) zones. With the results of this research farmers will be able to identify the capacity of their land to transport and transform nitrogen, and understand the soil and landuse practises that will reduce the amount of nitrogen reaching waterways, while maintaining productivity.

Avian acoustics

We are studying the evolution of animal communication, examining the origins and stability of song diversity using an evolutionary approach. Bird song dialects are being used as models for testing cultural evolution theory.

Coral reef bleaching

Dr David Aguirre, a Massey marine ecologist is helping to uncover the ways the world’s coral reefs could survive in the face of rising global temperatures. Coral bleaching is having devastating effects on coral reefs around the world. The study, led by the Australian Museum is hoping to understand how reefs will respond to climate change and show us where our best efforts to preserve reefs lie.

Developing a traffic light system for river health

Professor Russell Death was awarded $100,000 from the MBIE Vision Mātauranga fund to develop with Ngāti Whatua o Karipara a traffic light coloured (Figure ; red = poor, green = good) internet map of Kaipara river health. This will allow marae, interest groups or individuals to easily explore the health of their local sites and potential reasons for its current condition upstream. In turn this will hopefully identify management actions for improvement.

Dishing the dirt on world soil health

Massey University scientists contributed to a report issued by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils, stating that the world’s soils are at best only in fair condition and in some areas are very poor.

According to the report, 33 per cent of land is being moderately to highly degraded due to erosion, salinisation, pollution, compaction or acidification. The current rate of soil degradation threatens the capacity to meet the needs of future generations.

This project is gathering insights into interaction and surface manifestation of the geothermal processes at Hipaua and Waiotapu geothermal sites using airborne hyperspectral and thermal imaging. This will provide insights into managing risks at such locations

First male of stick insect species discovered

The first male of a New Zealand stick insect species has been discovered – in the UK.

A male stick insect of Acanthoxyla inermis has never been seen before, although the species is common in much of New Zealand. All Acanthoxyla species use parthenogenetics to reproduce, which means that the females lay viable eggs without the need for fertilisation by a male. No males of any Acanthoxyla species have ever been recorded until this specimen was found.

Foraging range of fur seals

This project investigated the foraging range of New Zealand fur seals at three breeding colonies in the South Island over three summers (2010-2013). We equipped females with satellite data loggers, investigated their feeding habits through the use of fatty acids and stable isotopes and assessed the spatial overlap between fur seals and fisheries using GIS tools. Thirty-three seals were equipped with dataloggers recording their position at sea while foraging.

The work resulted in maps showing foraging range, which can be used by scientists to help develop conservation measures for this species.

Facilities

Dame Ella Campbell Herbarium (MPN)

The majority of our collection comes from New Zealand, but there are also many specimens from around the world. The majority of our material is from the North Island from the Volcanic Plateau, to Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki and south to Wellington.

Marine Pathology Laboratory

This specialised post-mortem facility on Massey’s Auckland campus has a primary focus on life history, diet and mortality assessment in marine mammals (particularly dolphins). It also supports work on small whales, seals, turtles, sharks, rays, penguins and other seabirds.
The facility can accommodate several small animal dissections at once, or larger single animals up to 3m in length. Includes a walk-in -20°C freezer, +4°C chiller and vented specimen/chemical storage bunker.

Massey Botanic Gardens

This project is working to expand on Massey’s already expansive campus to create a botanic garden available for research, teaching and to the community across New Zealand and internationally. The garden will generate a wealth of information on restoration methods and the management of rare, threatened and endangered plants from around the world.

Massey University Reptile Facility

The Reptile Facility on Massey’s Auckland campus consists of an outdoor area with 18 lizard enclosures, as well as an indoor unit with quarantine and experimental laboratories. It provides opportunities for research, teaching and conservation-focused activities involving New Zealand native lizards. It also hosts a captive breed-for-release programme for Duvaucel’s geckos. More than 140 lizards reared in the facility have been successfully released in association with local biodiversity restoration initiatives and as part of a long-term research programme that investigates the establishment success of translocated populations in different environments.

New Zealand Indigenous Flora Seed Bank

The New Zealand Indigenous Flora Seed Bank (NZIFSB) aims to collect the seeds of New Zealand flora, to conserve the biodiversity within New Zealand’s indigenous flora. Seed banking is a recognised conservation strategy to support in-situ conservation efforts.

International Research Centre for the Management of Degraded and Mining Lands

Located in Indonesia, this centre aims to help restore land degraded by mining. Collaborative research is being carried out between Massey, a founding partner, and partners Brawijaya University, the University of Mataram and the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The centre grew out of a research project started by Dr Chris Anderson investigating remediation techniques for mercury-contaminated soil using plants.

New Zealand Biochar Research Centre

The Centre is internationally-recognised, working to advance the understanding of biochar for mitigating global climate change. We also work to enable its use in New Zealand, particularly by the agricultural and forestry sectors.

New Zealand Life Cycle Management Centre

The Centre is a collaboration between Massey University, AgResearch, Landcare Research, Plant & Food Research and SCION. It works to build capability in life cycle management (LCM) by providing education, training and research to LCM professionals to meet increasing consumer demand for green metrics on products.

Political Ecology Research Centre

The Political Ecology Research Centre (PERC) is dedicated to connecting groups and individuals whose work emphasises and critiques the relationships between society, environment and politics. PERC members study, teach, research, and/or practise political ecology.

Volcanic Risk Solutions

During volcanic events, this Centre provides rapid scientific response information to local governments, industry and agricultural industries. It also develops and integrates scientific advancements in volcanology within practical risk-management strategies for New Zealand and Southwest Pacific communities, business enterprises and government agencies.